Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Announces 2008 Captains, Team Awards at Annual Banquet
5/2/2008 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
May 2, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - With the academic year winding down, the Bucknell men's soccer program held its annual awards banquet last weekend inside Larison Hall. A number of players were recognized with team awards, including seniors Corey Curnutte (Water ford, Mich./Detroit Country Day) and Joe Mellott (Highland, Md./Mount St. Joseph), who shared the David P. Rath Award, which is given to the team MVP. Additionally, junior Mark Schmiegel (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) and sophomores Conor O'Brien (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and Patrick Selwood (Darnestown, Md./The Heights School) were named team captains for the 2008 campaign by head coach Brendan Nash, who will be in his 10th season on the Bison sidelines in 2008.
Ross Liberati (Warwick, Md./Tower Hill), Kevin Holmes (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock) and David Harris (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) also received awards in front of a gathering of more than 100 people. Each of the seven members of the senior class, as well as senior team manager Dan Shuman, a former goalie, gave a speech. The Mellott and Holmes families were also recognized for their support of the program over the years.
Marlin Frankhouse '55 was given the Frank Famariss Award, which goes to the alumnus of the year.
Curnutte and Mellott, two members of the Class of 2008 that won 33 games and one Patriot League title over the last four years, were named the team MVPs. Curnutte was a First Team All-Patriot League selection last fall and also earned Third Team NSCAA All-Region honors. He netted a career-high four goals and dished out two assists for a career-high 10 points to rank fourth on the team while playing predominantly in the midfield.
A Second Team All-Patriot League choice in 2006 when he was also named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team, Curnutte started at least 18 games every year of his career, including all 19 this past fall. Bucknell was 4-1-1 in games where he, a two-year team co-captain, registered at least one point in 2007.
A physical player, Curnutte started 75 career games and piled up five goals and eight assists for a career tally of 18 points. He also recently earned the Bryan-Humphreys Award at Bucknell's annual Senior Recognition Dinner.
Mellott was a Third Team NSCAA All-Region team member along with Curnutte, and was also a member of the First Team All-Patriot League squad. A four-year starter, Mellott recorded 10 assists in his career, including one last fall against La Salle. He was the backbone of the defense that limited opponents to just 16 goals, with only six of those coming in Patriot League regular-season play. The Highland, Md., native appeared in 74 career games with 68 career starts.
Liberati was named the team's Rookie of the Year after finishing tied for third on the squad with four goals, which all came against Patriot League competition. His eight points ranked fifth on the team. Liberati appeared in 17 of Bucknell's 19 games and drew 10 starts, with all coming in the final 11 contests of the season.
Holmes earned the Peter Weidenbacher Award, which is given to the most improved player. The senior registered a career-high three assists to tie for third on the team. He earned eight starts and played in a total of 15 games. Two of his assists came against Patriot League foes. Holmes wrapped up his career with three goals and four assists in 48 games.
Harris was the recipient of the Craig A. Reynolds Award for sportsmanship and class. The senior saw action in eight games this past year, and in 17 over his four-year career. His first career start came Oct. 24 against Saint Francis (Pa.), a game the Bison won 2-0 on Varsity Soccer Field.
With O'Brien, Schmiegel and Selwood as captains in 2008, Bucknell will have a tri-captaincy situation for the third consecutive year. It will also be the second time in three years Nash will have two juniors serving in the captain role. Curnutte and classmate Joey Kuterbach (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) were among the team captains as juniors in 2006.
O'Brien, who was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection and an NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Second Team choice following the 2007 campaign, led Bucknell with seven goals and 19 points last fall. His five assists were tied for first on the squad with senior Justin Wolf. O'Brien's goal total was the most by a Bison since Scott Visnic netted 12 in 2003. The sophomore tallied five goals over the final six games of the regular season, and he assisted on Schmiegel's goal in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals against Colgate.
Schmiegel finished tied for third on the team with a career-high four goals last fall. He also dished out a career high-tying three assists for a career-high 11 points, which ranked third on the Bison. The Toms River, N.J., native has started all 60 games since he set foot on campus prior to the 2005 campaign, including all 19 last year. Schmiegel will enter his senior campaign with seven career goals, seven career assists and 21 career points.
Selwood has been a valuable defender for the Bison over his first two years at Bucknell. He recorded one assist as a freshman when he appeared in 20 games and started eight. This past fall, he drew 15 starts and played in 16 games overall.
Bucknell posted a solid 9-5-5 record in 2007, including 4-2-1 in Patriot League play. The Bison earned the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament, but lost to Colgate on penalty kicks in the semifinals. They will open their 2008 schedule Aug. 29 against Canisius.
2008 Bucknell Men's Soccer Award Winners
David P. Rath Award (MVP): Corey Curnutte, Joe Mellott
Rookie of the Year: Ross Liberati
Peter Weidenbacher Award (Most Improved): Kevin Holmes
Craig A. Reynolds Award (Sportsmanship and Class): David Harris
Frank Famariss Award (Alumnus of the Year): Marlin Frankhouse '55
2008 Team Captains: Conor O'Brien, Mark Schmiegel, Patrick Selwood
